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What temperature range is preferred for dry ground hunting? I know that hot is bad for scent... But is 40-50's alright? This will be my first year dry grounding..planning on October. Looking for some tips!
Thanks!

That temp is fine, also right after a rain is the best. If the ground freezes at night don't give up just wait till the sun comes out and unlocks the scent. Just a couple things that's worked for me.

Ground moisture is far more important than ground temperature. With temperature you have to watch over heating. Any change in conditions, freezing and thawing,rain and dry, cloudy or sunning, dogs in shape or not all affect the ability to trail a track. The more you can control the better your dogs will do. Conditioning, when to hunt, time of day or where to hunt. Good luck. Dewey

In my area I find that the best moisture level is usually 3 days after a rain. You want the surface of the ground dry but when you scrape in with the heel of your boot you want to see some moistue underneath. Although dogs can carry a track fine at even pretty warm temperatures one must take care to have plenty of water for the dogs and to cool them often. Once a dog overheats his olfactory senses are dimmed and that hard panting can really dry a dog out fast. Remember it is just not the ambiant air temperture that heats the ground and rocks and such but also the glare and UV rays of the sun. The air may feel rather cool to you but if you get down close to the ground and rocks you can feel the heat of the reflection coming back at you, and this is where bare ground dogs trail.

If I had to say what would be perfect would be between 35-55 degrees with little wind and heavy overcast skies. You hit an overnight track under these conditions and you have some decent ground moisture underneath and my hounds will run it like a fresh snow track.

Thanks for the info guys!! I am planning on two weeks of dry ground hunting in early October.. I hope the weather will be alright. There looks to be somewhat decent vegetation (grass) where I plan to go so I hope that helps too. I plan to road and rig mostly. Any more tips at all would be great! Thanks

Pay attention to the barometric pressure too and see if it makes any difference.

20-60 degrees, Considering all your changing trailing variables stay neutral. Most dogs start clocking out at 70-75degrees on a good track. If your hunting in the 80s watch out with heat stroke.

Thanks for all the info guys! I really appreciate it. Keep it coming! Does vegetation make a big difference In holding scent compared to just dirt? I hunt bare ground but I'm from pa.. Everything here is vegetation. I don't know much about the dry ground hunting out west.

Vegetation can make a huge diffeence. Many lions caught on dry ground conditions would not be caught if it were not for suitable vegeation. Anyone who has hunted lions long will marvel at how a good dry ground dog will pulll scent off brush and overhandging limbs and grass at times even rearing up on his hind legs to get a good smell where Mr. Lion flipped his tail up as he went under a low hanging brush.

Green foilage seems to hold scent better than dry brush and that stands to reason but dry brush and grass are better than no cover at all. Lions like to step on rocks and many dogs will stop and lick a rock to moisten it to pull a bit of scent off it to keep things going. Certain brush kreosote, greasewood and some stalky grasses seem to be harder on scent and rabbit brush also gives off a very pungent smell. The usual higher elevation bushes like Gambels Oak, Mountain Mahogany and such seem to strip a good bit of scent off the lion. Rock ledges and bluffs with a very porous surface such as sandstone seem to hold scent fairly well. Gravel type rocks, and sand are very poor scenting and if you don't have considerable suitable vegetation on these surfaces you will play heck moving a track very far on this especially if the surface beflow the gravels is soft and dry.

So many variables can make a difference in a track.

If I have a day off I hunt. I don't worry much about the temperature or barometric pressure or ground moisture or anything really. You sure as hell won't catch a thing unless you get out and try. If you’re planning a hunt a ways in advance then who cares, you can't control it anyways, just go hunt. Vegetation does seem to help quite a bit but you can’t control which side of the canyon the lion will be travelling. I personally feel that 65 degrees is perfect temp for lion hunting however the main factor if you’re gonna catch or even trail while you’re out there is your dogs experience and ability. I see quite a few good snow lion dogs that take several months of trying in the dirt before it comes together for them. If they're out of good lines and started in tough conditions then they seem to pick it up quite early. Good luck on your hunt.